Garman v. Salt Lake County Jail Medical Staff

Filing 19

MEMORANDUM DECISION & ORDER: It is hereby ordered that Plaintiff shall have Thirty Days form the date of this order to cure the deficiencies noted above. The Clerk's Office shall mail Plaintiff a copy of the Pro Se Litigant Guide. If Plaintiff fails to timely cure the above deficiencies according to the instructions here this action will be dismissed without further notice. Signed by Judge Ted Stewart on 09/25/2017. (kpf)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH
JOHN PAUL GARMAN,

MEMORANDUM DECISION
AND ORDER

Plaintiff,
v.
SALT LAKE COUNTY JAIL MED DEP’T,

Defendant.

Case No. 2:16-CV-99-TS
District Judge Ted Stewart

Plaintiff, John Paul Garman, an inmate at Utah State Prison, filed this pro se civil rights
suit. See 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 (2017). Plaintiff was allowed to proceed in forma pauperis. See 28
id. 1915. Reviewing the Complaint under § 1915(e), the Court has determined that Plaintiff's
complaint is deficient as described below.
Deficiencies in Complaint
Complaint:
(a) improperly names Salt Lake County medical department as a defendant, though it is
not an independent legal entity that can sue or be sued.
(b) should be drafted with the help of contract attorneys, if Plaintiff is still incarcerated.
Instructions to Plaintiff
Under Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure a complaint is required to contain
"(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which the court's jurisdiction depends, . . .
(2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief, and (3) a
demand for judgment for the relief the pleader seeks." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). The requirements of
Rule 8(a) are intended to guarantee "that defendants enjoy fair notice of what the claims against

them are and the grounds upon which they rest." TV Commnc'ns Network, Inc. v. ESPN, Inc., 767
F. Supp. 1062, 1069 (D. Colo. 1991), aff’d, 964 F.2d 1022 (10th Cir. 1992).
Pro se litigants are not excused from compliance with the minimal pleading requirements
of Rule 8. "This is so because a pro se plaintiff requires no special legal training to recount the
facts surrounding his alleged injury, and he must provide such facts if the court is to determine
whether he makes out a claim on which relief can be granted." Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106,
1009 (10th Cir. 1991). Moreover, "it is not the proper function of the Court to assume the role of
advocate for a pro se litigant." Id. at 1110. Thus, the Court cannot "supply additional facts, [or]
construct a legal theory for plaintiff that assumes facts that have not been pleaded." Dunn v.
White, 880 F.2d 1188, 1197 (10th Cir. 1989).
Plaintiff should consider the following points before refiling his complaint. First, the
revised complaint must stand entirely on its own and shall not refer to, or incorporate by
reference, any portion of the original complaint. See Murray v. Archambo, 132 F.3d 609, 612
(10th Cir. 1998) (stating amended complaint supercedes original). Second, the complaint must
clearly state what each individual defendant did to violate Plaintiff's civil rights. See Bennett v.
Passic, 545 F.2d 1260, 1262-63 (10th Cir. 1976) (stating personal participation of each named
defendant is essential allegation in civil rights action). "To state a claim, a complaint must 'make
clear exactly who is alleged to have done what to whom.'" Stone v. Albert, No. 08-2222, slip op.
at 4 (10th Cir. July 20, 2009) (unpublished) (emphasis in original) (quoting Robbins v.
Oklahoma, 519 F.3d 1242, 1250 (10th Cir. 2008)). Third, Plaintiff cannot name an individual as
a defendant based solely on his or her supervisory position. See Mitchell v. Maynard, 80 F.3d
1433, 1441, (10th Cir. 1996) (stating supervisory status alone is insufficient to support liability

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under § 1983). And, fourth, Plaintiff is warned that litigants who have had three in forma
pauperis cases dismissed as frivolous or meritless will be restricted from filing future lawsuits
without prepaying fees.
ORDER
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:
(1) Plaintiff shall have THIRTY DAYS from the date of this order to cure the
deficiencies noted above.
(2) The Clerk's Office shall mail Plaintiff a copy of the Pro Se Litigant Guide.
(3) If Plaintiff fails to timely cure the above deficiencies according to the instructions
here this action will be dismissed without further notice.
DATED this 25th day of September, 2017.
BY THE COURT:

TED STEWART
United States District Judge

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